Preservation Society carries on mission of interfaith cooperation

Ray Gawendo, an original founder and TBIPS advisor, still talks about her experiences as a holocaust survivor. Photo by D. Coffey.

Ray Gawendo, an original founder and TBIPS advisor, still talks about her experiences as a holocaust survivor. Photo by D. Coffey.

Denise CoffeyReminder News

TBIPS carries on temple's mission of interfaith cooperation

The Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society sponsored a Holocaust Remembrance Day in Danielson on April 18. The day is internationally recognized, a commemoration of the Holocaust and the six million Jews killed by the Nazis from 1933 to 1945.

The event kicked off with the national anthem. TBIPS President Norman Berman stood with his hand on his heart looking at the American flag. Berman and a group of 15 have taken it upon themselves to preserve not only the memories of the founders, but the importance of the temple and all that it stands for. "This country took them in," Berman said.

Many of those on the board of directors are descendants of the temple's original founders. Some are children of Holocaust survivors. Some are children of liberators who helped that remnant survive. The temple, built with the support of local businesses and churches, is a testament to good will, perseverance, courage and community. And it stands as a monument against hatred.

TBIPS President Emeritus Joel Rosenberg started the society five years ago. Services hadn't been held there in years because there weren't enough families to sustain it. "It was apparent that it was probably going to be sold," he said. "I reached out to children of the founders to see how they'd feel about the temple being sold. I knew the answer; no one wanted it sold."

"Whoever was going to come along had to be part of a new organization – in this case a historical society," Rosenberg said. "We were going to do more than just preserve the building. We wanted to preserve the history of how the families and the entire interfaith community built this synagogue."

In 2013, the temple was listed with the Registry of National Historical Places. Part of its mission now is to encourage an interfaith approach to community building, to confront hatred and promote human dignity.

Besides holy day services and interfaith gatherings, the TBIPS sponsors educational programs in area schools. "It isn't just about the genocide of Jews or what happened in the Holocaust," Rosenberg said. Other faiths, other races have suffered, and suffer still. "Our message is we can't just stand by any more," he said.

Board members meet monthly, even though many live far from Danielson. Naomi Weiner started a speaker's bureau and is responsible for scheduling talks at area schools. Advisor Ray Gawendo, one of the temple's founders, was at the state capitol on April 17 to light a Holocaust Memorial candle. At 100 years old, Gawendo still talks to students about her experiences as a concentration camp survivor. Elsie Fetterman travels the state promoting the temple's programs.

Paula Rosenberg Bell, daughter of a founder, said the society's aim is to preserve the temple for everyone. And now there are three generations of some families engaged in the society's work. "People are at the heart of the building," she said.

Weiner agreed. "Holocaust survivors found a place where they were finally safe," she said. "This building was at the center of their lives."

The TBIPS will sponsor a program focusing on Rwanda on April 30 at Woodstock Academy.